Call of the Night
by Rose Starre
Summary: Shadow Wind, a Night Fury, has been plagued by turmoil all her life. From hatching to no mother to losing her father afterwards, she has not had a pleasant life. So, she goes off in search of a better one among the various dragon clans.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. (Except perhaps the names and personalities of these characters)**

_**Prologue**_

Shadow Wing was dead. Her long struggle with a deadly disease was finally over. Her mate, Shade, would have been relieved that she had finally passed away. That is, if it hadn't been for the egg.

The corpse was stretched beside the egg, having poured love on it until her very end. Shade sat nearby, tears flowing forth from his eyes, falling onto the egg. Yet, he thought only of his mate, who now flew in the eternal heavens.

Opening his eyes, he gazed down at the egg as though for the first time. "I will have to care for you now," he told it softly. He nuzzled it gently. "You are mine," he whispered.

Suddenly, he heard Night Claw, one of his mate's good friends. She was just outside of the den, announcing that she was coming in to check up on her friend. Her head poked in, yellow eyes glowing happily. "Hello?" she said.

"Quietly, Night Claw," Shade hushed. "Shadow Wing is asleep. It would be wise for you to go now."

"Okay," Night Claw whispered. "I'll come back later." With that, she was gone.

Shade gently licked Shadow Wing's head. "How I loathe leaving you," he whispered. "But, I must keep our child safe. I fly for our child's benefit and ours." He pressed his head against hers one last time before murmuring, "My love goes to you in the heavenly realms. I pray that we meet again soon." With these parting words, he took the egg softly in his jaws and left.


	2. The Grief of the Father

_**Grief of the Father**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

After a few months of constant fear of discovery, Shade watched the hatchling tear its way through the frail eggshell and take its first breaths. It had two wings, two eyes, all of its tail fins, and the proper amount of claws on each of its paws. All in all, it was a strong hatchling; a healthy daughter.

He stood by as she opened her eyes for the first time. He gasped at the sight. Her eyes were perfect replicas of her mother's, the same blue-green of the ocean.

Shade had decided before that, should the hatchling be female, he would call her Night Wind. But, he found himself, time and time again, calling her by a mix of both her name and her mother's. So, this mix became her name: Shadow Wind.

Despite loving his daughter with his entire being, Shade couldn't help but to think about Shadow Wing. His heart felt hollow for not sharing these memories with his mate. He wished that she could have been there to see their daughter's first words, first steps, or first flight. And every time he looked into Shadow Wind's eyes, he longed again for his mate's company.

Helpless, Shade felt his mind slipping deeper and deeper into a dark pit of despair. His demeanor grew darker and darker until his heart had been hardened against even his daughter. The only thing that seemed to calm him was his nightly walks to the seaside cliffs.

One night, he left Shadow Wind much earlier than usual, upon feeling his great despair raising its ugly head. "Papa?" Shadow Wind called after him. He did not respond.

Naturally curious, as all hatchlings are, Shadow Wind followed her father. After a while of walking, the young dragon reached the seaside cliffs. She scampered towards Shade, happily giggling, "Papa! You left me behind!"

Lifting his gaze to the heavens, Shade believed he saw Shadow Wing gesturing for him to come to her. Closing his eyes, Shade murmured, "I fall that I may fly to you, my love." Without any knowledge that Shadow Wind was behind him, Shade let himself fall into the ocean.

"Papa!" Shadow Wind cried, running to the edge of the cliff. She peered down at the water and just caught a glimpse of her father sliding under the waves. Without a second thought, she dove after him. She pulled clumsily out of the dive moments before hitting the water.

Shadow Wind searched tirelessly for an hour, praying that her father might resurface. He never did. She flew back up to the top of the cliff and flopped down. Having lost the only family she had ever known, she cried for a rather long time, until the cool night wind finally dried her tears.

Feeling empty, Shadow Wind lay for a few hours near the sea, listening to the cruel waves crashing against the cliff. Finally opening her eyes, she cast her gaze towards the great multitudes of stars glistening overhead. "Where does Papa fly now?" she asked them in a small voice choked by tears. "Where do his wings glean the air? Where does he lie, that I may lie by his side again? Where can I again hear his words of love? Where? Where, stars?"

Shadow Wind dragged herself to her paws, moving slowly towards the edge of the cliff. She looked down at the water, watching the moonlight glint off of it. "Oh, that I had the courage to throw myself also into you, you cruel maw of earth!" she exclaimed after a few silent moments. "You have swallowed up my family, you rolling monster!" She blasted the sea with a fireball, which seemed to do nothing.

Sighing heavily, Shadow Wind turned from the sea. Walking inland some way, she flopped down again. Drawing her tail over her eyes, she gave herself up to sleep.

_To be continued…_


	3. The Nadder Clan

_**The Nadder Clan**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Shadow Wind woke with the first light of the rising sun. She looked at the soft hues of the sunrise for a few minutes. Remembering the events of the previous night, she turned from the sea and headed inland once again.

Once she had caught and eaten her breakfast, which she could hardly bring herself to do, Shadow Wind took to the skies. She flew in silence for a long while, making circuits around the island several times. When she finally came in for a landing on the plain, she came across the first clan of dragons she had ever seen: The Nadder Clan.

They stood on two legs, quite unlike Shadow Wind. They had horned crests and striped, extremely spiny tails. Their scales ranged from one pastel color to another and their wings were spotted with a multitude of colors. A great horn on their noses obscured part of their vision.

Wings tensed for flight, Shadow Wind approached the clan, namely the dragon she presumed to be the leader. He had the largest nose horn and peered around it at the approaching Night Fury. To him, it was quite obvious that she was young and afraid. Nonetheless, he would have to display his authority to her.

As Shadow Wind neared him, the leader of the Nadder Clan raised his horned crest to its greatest extent, showing his dominance. "State your business here, Fury," he commanded.

"I am weary from long flight and sorrow," Shadow Wind answered, lowering her head. "I beg that you grant shelter to a fatigued, lone soul."

"From what do you fly?" the leader asked.

"I fly from death, which was said to have sired my kind, yet takes us as its own at unpredictable times," Shadow Wind replied. "It is a wonder I am able to fly, with such a heart as heavy with sorrow as mine."

"Why is your heart so weighed with sorrow?" the leader queried.

"The sea, which surrounds this island sanctuary of ours, claimed the life of my only family," Shadow Wind whimpered softly

The leader of the Nadder Clan sighed. "I will grant you sanctuary among the Nadders," he proclaimed. "Only tell me your name."

"I am called Shadow Wind," the Night Fury answered.

"I am Shining Scale," the Nadder leader introduced himself. "Welcome to the Nadder Clan."

xXx

In return for their kindness, Shadow Wind helped the hunting party, who taught her exactly how to hunt the deer that came out of the forest to feed upon the sweet plains grasses. She also took some of their hatchlings on her leisure flights, teaching them how to master the air. With the Night Fury's help, the hatchlings were able to fly long before they would have with only their ordinary flight instructors.

Eventually, Shadow Wind began to release the loss of her father. Over her months with the Nadders, the haunting image of her father's disappearance beneath the waves began to fade. This fading memory was replaced by ones she made with the Nadder hatchlings.

Shining Scale and his mate, Needle Crown, became good friends with Shadow Wind. They admired her hunting skill and flight mastery, so much so that they asked that they might learn from her. In the evenings, the alpha pair could be seen flying with the Night Fury, learning to replicate her spirals and dives.

Life was actually good for once. However, all know that all good things must someday end. One year and three months after Shadow Wind had joined the Nadder Clan, one of Shining Scale's sons, Fire Horn, rebelled against his parents.

Shadow Wind was resting after a flight with the hatchlings. Suddenly, she heard raised shouts and great bellows. Lifting herself from the ground, she made her way to the source of the sound. What she found startled her intensely: Shining Scale lay bleeding on the ground while Fire Horn chased his mother away.

Although she would have loved to have been able to help Needle Crown, Shining Scale instantly became Shadow Wind's priority. She raced to his side, extremely worried. "Shadow Wind," he choked, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Fly, as swiftly as you can, away from this place. Fire Horn has ensured my end; he is alpha now." He coughed, spattering the ground with blood. "Always place your trust carefully," he continued, his life fading. "Do not make my mistake. Fly, child of shadow!" With these words, his spirit departed.

Shadow Wind was already flying as swiftly as she could manage when the tears began to flow. Shining Scale's death opened an old wound in her soul, refreshing the sadness she had gained when her father had left her. She now flew with no destination, existing with no place to call home. She flew for a while, until she finally decided that flying while viewing the world through a patina of tears was a bad idea.

Landing on the nearest available place, Shadow Wind shook her head to regain her bearings. As she stood there, vulnerable, something approached. Sensing this, she whirled around. The something grinned menacingly. "Hello," it said.

_To be continued…_

_Now I have left you with a cliffhanger! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Sorry. I'll try to get the next chapter to you people as soon as I can. See you then!_


	4. The Nightmare Clan

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

"You've got guts, invading my territory," the big dragon continued, glaring down at the Night Fury. His fiery eyes were narrow slits and his malicious grin only widened.

Shadow Wind could only stare back at the monstrous beast before her. She had never known fear such as this. This dragon exuded an air of extreme superiority and anger. If she didn't leave now, she might just become this dragon's next meal.

In the split second it took Shadow Wind to raise her wings, the big dragon pushed the claws on his wing onto her back, effectively pinning her to the ground. "Leaving already?" the dragon scolded. "Shame. I was gonna treat you well, but, since you insist…" He sharply struck the Night Fury once on the head, causing her vision to rapidly fade to black.

xXx

When Shadow Wind returned to the conscious world, her head hurt immensely. She moaned in agony, tentatively rubbing the pained spot on her head. She was lying on rough, yet warm rocks. Blearily, she opened her eyes.

A large dragon, much like the other one, but with deep purple scales, crouched in front of her, looking concerned. "Thank the stars you're alright!" she exclaimed. "I thought Daddy had killed you!"

"That dragon is your father?" Shadow Wind asked.

"Yup!" the other dragon answered cheerily. "Say, I don't know your name."

"I am called Shadow Wind," the Night Fury replied.

"I'm Violet Flame," the large dragon said. "Nice to meet you!"

"I really wish we could have met under more favorable circumstances…" Shadow Wind grumbled, rubbing her head again.

"What do you mean by that?" Violet Flame asked, looking quite confused.

"Never mind," Shadow Wind responded. "Where am I?"

"This is the Nightmare Clan," Violet Flame said, gesturing at the Nightmares around her. "You're lucky to be able to see it. Daddy doesn't like trespassers."

"If that's the case," Shadow Wind sighed, standing shakily and preparing for flight, "I won't be able to stay here and keep my life."

"Wait!" Violet Flame cried, suddenly looking distressed. "You can't go yet. A great conflict rules this clan. You will surely end us if you leave."

"What do you mean?" Shadow Wind enquired, uncertainly folding her wings.

"The Nadder Clan's new leader is being needlessly hostile with us," Violet Flame replied. "If we let you go peacefully, we will be viewed as weak and suffer endless attacks."

Shadow Wind froze. Fire Horn was worse than she had expected. From what little she knew about the Nightmares, no one without a death wish challenged them to battle. She felt a vengeful resolve rising up within her. If it was a battle to the death he wanted, so it would be.

"I will fly with you into battle," Shadow Wind said suddenly.

"You are an outsider!" Violet Flame yelped. "Letting you fly with us will make us seem dependent on others to win our battles."

"It is a wonder you are able to breathe with all these rules," Shadow Wind hissed, eyes narrowed. "If you can convince your father to strike at night, I will not be seen. No one except you will know I fly with your clan."

"Okay," Violet Flame said warily. "But I don't like breaking the rules. Daddy could have me killed for this." Despite the grim consequence, she flew off to advise her father to attack after sunset.

xXx

The sun set behind the jagged mountains the Nightmares called home. The Nightmare army, which consisted of all males beyond childhood, began preparing themselves for battle. They made the very air resonate with war cries and bashed each other with their clawed wings.

Shadow Wind's manner of preparation was much less violent. She sat silently with closed eyes and thought about Shining Scale's murder. However, she was unable to keep her mind from wandering to the hatchlings. She would have to get them to safety before the attack occurred.

Finally, the time came for the ambush. The Nightmares quieted and followed their alpha into the air, unknowingly keeping another dragon in their midst. Shadow Wind flew above and ahead of the army, hoping to reach the plains first in order to warn the hatchlings and their mothers. Their innocence, she believed, should not pay for the wrongdoings of their leader.

The Night Fury reached the plains while the army was still at some distance. She moved with stealthy silence and discreetly warned the mothers to leave with their children. Thanks to their trust in her, they quickly made their escape. A few even politely requested that she warn their alpha as well, as if they had so quickly forgotten his most unspeakable act of murder.

The army arrived and circled over the Nadder Clan's territory. Shadow Wind joined them, but remained out of their sight. After a few minutes of anticipation, they set their scales alight and plummeted into combat, uttering thunderous war cries.

The Nadders awoke and attempted to flee, without success. The Nightmares caught up and began to pummel them with their claws and flames. Realizing there was no hope of escape, the assaulted dragons turned and began to fight back with a ferocious determination.

During the heat and confusion of combat, Fire Horn endeavored to make a hasty retreat. He quickly dodged several of his own species locked in a death struggle with the Nightmares. Shadow Wind saw her chance and sped after him. This was, after all, the very reason she hadn't yet departed from the battle.

Wrapping herself in her wings, as her father had taught her all those years ago, Shadow Wind pounced on Fire Horn, pinning him to the ground. The Nadder slipped out from under her paws and stood at a distance. "I remember you," he hissed, menacingly raising the spines on his tail. "The young Fury with a heart heavy with sorrow."

"You murdered your father," Shadow Wind growled accusingly, adopting a defensive stance. "And now you stand idly by while your own family dies at the claws of Nightmares." As though to prove her point, a Nightmare triumphed behind her, making an end of one of the unfortunate Nadders.

"What of it?" Fire Horn snapped. "The mothers and hatchlings have obviously made their escape already. The Nadder Clan will live on through them. I don't need these others."

"You heartless coward!" Shadow Wind roared, hurling herself at Fire Horn.

Both combatants tore at each other's flesh with claw and fang. Fire flew and tails thrashed in an effort to cripple or kill the opponent. Eventually, Shadow Wind felt one of Fire Horn's fragile wing bones snap between her jaws.

Knowing her rival was now crippled, Shadow Wind separated herself from him. Though weary and bleeding from several wounds, adrenaline coursed through her and kept her standing. "You are finished, Fire Horn!" she declared triumphantly.

"There is hope in me, yet," Fire Horn growled, his broken wing dragging on the ground. "You are the one who will die."

Not comprehending the previous sentence, Shadow Wind snarled, "I am as alive as ever. Your hope will soon dwindle to nothing. I will not help you." With that, she took off. Unfortunately, there were two Nadder spines lodged in her shoulder. The poison would act quickly and take her out of the air before long.


End file.
